Calling all bargain hunters looking to take their first tentative steps in to the 3D TV market……..We present to you, the LG 42PW450T.

Now, the first thing to notice about this 3D TV is the fact is’s missing some HD. That’s right. This is not a 3D HD TV (in the 1080p sense) but we thought we’d take a look at it anyway as it’s an interesting beast by all accounts. Anyway, unless you’re chucking 1080p source at the screen via a Blu-Ray or PS3, you won’t notice the difference.

So, we have here a 1024×768 HD Ready 3D TV at a bargain price. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a 42″ plasma based 3D TV, running at 600Hz, which can be picked up at the time of writing for less than four hundred notes! It looks perfectly normal, comes with a bulit-in Freeview HD tuner, has a decent remote and a great on-screen menu system. Throw active shutter 3D in to the equation and what more could you ask for?

Pixels? No, shut up! Pictures from the built-in Freeview tuner are very good. Downscaled Blu-rays and upscaled DVDs look better than average too with not too much detail being lost by the reduction in resolution. Images are generally well detailed and noise free but the processor will sometimes struggle with anything too coomplex and this is also true of darker scenes. However, contrasts are good and skin tones natural looking. Motion blur is, of course, generally better with plasmas but sometimes the 42PW450T processing lets it down and just tries too hard.

On to 3D and the 42PW450T does a fine job with both TV content and games from compatible sources – you’ll need an HDMI 1.4 cable if you’re planning on hooking up your PS3. There is a bit of noise and blur but this is acceptable at this price point.

This TV could be quite a bargain – it all depends on your personal taste. As always, the best thing to do is pop down to your local dealer and have a play. If you like it and don’t mind it’s not full HD then you’ll probably want one. In fact, at this price, why not just buy one anyway and stick it in the bedroom!